Moving On Into the Darkness
by thequintessentialbookworm
Summary: This is about what happens to Lyra post-Amber Spyglass. Lyra is heartbroken and doesn't know what do with her life once Will has returned to his own world. But when she and Pan decide to visit King Iorek Byrnison, they find that things are in unrest up north and that the bears and witches are engaged in an epic battle. Can Lyra and Pan work with both groups to find peace?
1. A Good Soul

DISCLAIMER: I, sadly, do not own the world of His Dark Materials (meaning Lyra, Will, Pan, Iorek, Iofur, Serafina, Jordan College, etc.)

A/N: This is my first attempt at an HDM fanfiction. Hope it turns out okay for y'all!

Lyra walked through the hallways of Jordan College. Pan curled up around her neck whimpering softly. Will was the only thing that Lyra could think of.

She wouldn't cry. No matter what, she wouldn't cry. Lyra pushed aside the heavy front doors of Jordan College and walked outside, the harsh winter wind biting at her rosy cheeks. The walkways had been cleared but snow was piled over everything else.

Lyra bit her cheek. She was not going to cry. Then, all of sudden, her emotions took over. She was true to her word: she didn't cry, but Lyra screamed. She shrieked into the snowy grey sky over Oxford. "Why?" was what she asked. Why did she have to be separated from Will? Why did she have to live in this world? Why couldn't they have left another window open? Why did everything have to be like this? Lyra asked. She screamed and shouted at the top of her lungs. Lyra kicked a rock across the courtyard with all of her might. She gathered snow into her hands and threw snowballs at anything that moved.

She wasn't sad, Lyra realized. She was angry. "Who are you angry with?" Pan whispered into her ear. She didn't know to answer. "I don't know!" Lyra shouted. "Everyone. No one. I don't know." she said more softly.

She didn't know. She thought she might have been mad at herself, for not staying in Will's world with him, even though it would cause her to die prematurely. She might have been mad at Dust, mad at the laws that caused Specters to be made when a window was opened. Lyra might have been mad at the Authority himself. She was mad at everyone. Mrs. Coulter, Lord Asriel. Roger, Chevalier Tialys, Stanislaus Grumman, John Faa. She sat down glumly on a bench, not knowing what to do.

But Lyra wasn't angry with Will. He was the better person of the two of them. He was the one who felt remorse at killing people. Will was the one that couldn't bring himself to lie and cheat and deceive. He was the one who convinced Lyra to stay in her own world. Lyra thought about it. She thought _I'm the bad one. I lied all the time. I loved to lie; it was my passion. Years ago, I mistreated the clayburner's children with Roger. I was so self centered that I wanted to go stay in Will's world and force him to go through the suffering when I died. _

Pantalaimon seemed to know what she was thinking. Of course he knew what Lyra was thinking: he was her soul. "Shh…Lyra, calm down. You're a good person, with a good soul, who does good things." Lyra closed her eyes and listened as Pan continued to speak.

"You helped Iorek to become king. You rescued all the children at Bolvangar-"

Lyra cut him off, "But I couldn't save Roger!"

Pan continued, "But you did save Roger, in the end. You saved all of the dead from their misery, you set them free. Lyra, you've done many good things and will do many more in the years to come. You helped Lady Salmakia and the Chevalier Tialys. You helped Mary Malone to discover her purpose in life."

Lyra shivered and sighed. It was cold outside, and she had on nothing more than a sweater and a light coat. "I don't know, Pan. If I had been doing things right, I would have thought of a way for Will and me to be together. It en't right, us being apart like this."

Lyra got up and began to pace. "It's just so hard, Pan. I can't just sit 'round here and be miserable, though, can I?" Lyra said, frowning. She bent down and grasped a smooth round stone, about the size of a baseball. After spitting out a long stream of cuss words, Lyra threw the rock at the stone walls of the college where she grew up. It barely made a scratch, and that made her angry. That she couldn't make a mark on this college, that she couldn't leave her mark on the world.

"Come on, dear. You'll freeze if you stay out here without some furs." Pantalaimon said gently.

Hope you didn't hate it! I'll have the next chapter up in a bit (I've already got it written, just need to edit.) Please review! And I am completely open to any and all constructive criticism/advice! Thanks!


	2. Planning for the Future From the Past

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of the Golden Compass (meaning Lyra, Will, Pan, Serafina, Jordan College, and so on)

A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up! Anyways, enjoy!

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Lyra lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She was not in a happy place, and neither was Pan. Lyra missed Will with all of her heart, though it had been just over a year. Pantalaimon missed Kirjava. Lyra hadn't cried once since she and Will parted. She was determined not to. _Crying is for babies. I'll be tough and I en't gonna cry. _She thought to herself.

It was just like when Lyra was that wild young girl growing up in the streets of Oxford. Playing with Roger and the gyptian children, having mud fights with the clayburner's children. She was the same girl that broke into the crypts with Roger, so long ago. Wild, ferocious, and untamable. In her time with Mrs. Coulter, Lyra had learned some manners. She had become vulnerable after seeing so much death. But it was different now. The pain of losing Will had turned Lyra into a cold, hard, empty shell. She rarely smiled or laughed and often had temper tantrums like a small child.

Although the scholars tried to educate her, Lyra wouldn't hear of it. She spent day after day sulking in her room.

**Two Years After the Events of "The Amber Spyglass."**

Although it had been two years since she had been parted from Will, Lyra still sulked about her room, depressed beyond measure. Many days she and Pan refused to get out of bed. That is, until the heat became too much for them to bear.

The heat beat down upon Jordan College relentlessly. It was hot for England and everyone was surprised. Even Lyra. The sudden change in temperature must have melted her tough skin a bit. She began to eat with some of the scholars when they invited her and went outside a bit more often. She still refused to smile or learn, though.

One day, Pan and Lyra were outside, resting underneath a tree that provided only a bit of shade. "Lyra?" Pantalaimon asked.

"Yes?"

"We need to do something. Go somewhere. Something."

Lyra sighed. "You're right. I miss the adventure, the danger, the fun of it all. Maybe it'll help to take my mind off of him." Lyra had started referring to Will only as "him", perhaps to avoid the pain of saying his name.

"You know what? I think we should go see Iorek." Pan said resolutely, standing up as straight as his pine marten form would allow him to.

"Oh, Pan! That's a good idea!" Lyra said excitedly, as a trace of a smile flitted across her face for the first time in weeks. "But it's so far away…"

"It doesn't matter. We have no obligations to keep here at Jordan College. We could leave, just leave forever and it would be fine. How will we get there, though?" Pantalaimon remarked.

"I know! The witches! Serafina Pekkala will be able to figure something out, I know it." Lyra said, actually smiling now at the thought of adventure and seeing her old friends.

Lyra and her dæmon sat on the bench planning and dreaming of the future.

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A/N: Please review! I don't even know if I've gotten any reads on this story, and it's sort of ruining my day! So please review! You can also P/M me about the story if you want.


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